The Climb (Episode)
The Climb Synopsis RA’S AL GHUL GIVES OLIVER AN ULTIMATUM; DINAH LANCE PAYS LAUREL A VISIT: Nyssa (Guest Star Katrina Law) returns to Starling City and tells Oliver (Stephen Amell) that her father, Ra’s al Ghul (Guest Star Matt Nable) has given Oliver 48 Hours to find Sara’s Killer or The League of Assassins will start killing the citizens of Starling City. Laurel (Katie Cassidy) is stunned when her father (Paul Blackthorne) delivers a very special Christmas Gift her mother, Dinah (Guest Star Alex Kingston). Meanwhile, Ray (Brandon Routh) tries to make amends with Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Oliver sets a meeting with Ra’s al Ghul. Thor Freudenthal Directed The Episode Written by Jake Coburn & Keto Shimizu. Summary In Asia, Oliver climbs up the side of a mountain. Forty eight hours earlier, Quentin takes time out from the station's Christmas party to go outside for a breath of fresh air. He finds a thug tied up and Arrow wishes Quentin a merry Christmas. Once Quentin goes inside, black-clad archers drop down from the roof and quickly capture Arrow. They haul to a warehouse where Nyssa is waiting. She tells him that Ra's is done giving Arrow time to find Sara's killer. He has ordered the death of 50 innocent civilians a day until the killer is turned over to him. The assassin at her side removes her mask, revealing that he's Maseo. Arrow is surprised to see his old mentor and addresses him by name, but Maseo says that his name is now Sarab. Laurel is at Sara's grave, "talking" to her and admitting that she misses her, when Thea comes over. She's at the graveyard to visit Moira's grave, and wonders why Laurel is there when Sara is still alive. Laurel tells Thea that Sara is dead but makes her promise not to tell anyone for fear that Quentin would find out and the stress would kill him. Thea agrees and the two women hug. Ray visits Felicity in her office and tries to explain why he left her after they kissed. Felicity doesn't want to hear it and leaves in response to a call from Oliver. She goes to the lair and Oliver tells the team what happened to him. Felicity warns them that the DNA marks she sent to Caitlin for analysis have degraded. When Diggle says that they need a contingency plan, Oliver admits that he doesn't have one. Five years ago, a shocked Oliver returns to Maseo's apartment. He's covered in blood, and Maseo realizes what Waller has had Oliver do. Oliver says that he learned from his prisoner that China white has acquired a deadly virus from a biotech company, BTHK. Felicity calls Caitlin in Central City to get the DNA results. Once she has them, Felicity compares them to the SCPD database as Oliver and Diggle look on... and they're shocked to see that the samples belong to Oliver. Oliver continues his climb. Oliver figures that Malcolm planted the DNA to set him up, and force him to take on the League of Assassins. Diggle notes that Malcolm was supposedly in Corto Maltese at the time, but Oliver figures that he returned to Starling City long enough to kill Sara. Felicity tries to trace Malcolm's probably flight plan but warns that it will take time. Maseo and Oliver break into BTHK and discover that someone has already taken the virus. When Maseo reviews the surveillance tapes, he spots a scientist taking the vial of the virus and figures that he's working for China White. Laurel visits her father and is surprised to see her mother Dinah there. Quentin explains that he planned a family reunion at Christmas as a surprise, and Dinah points out that Sara isn't returning her calls. Laurel uses her cover story and says that Sara is still backpacking in the Andes. At the lair, Felicity confirms that a private jet flew from Corto Maltese to Starling City via a circuitous route and arrived on the night before Sara was murdered. Arrow and Arsenal track down the pilot, and he finally admits that he flew Malcolm. He gives them the security footage and when they watch it at the lair, it shows Malcolm and Thea both arriving in town. As a storm comes up, Oliver is forced to take shelter in a shallow cave. Diggle suggests that Thea's DNA is on the body, accounting for the match with Oliver. Felicity notes that her virtual autopsy showed that the archer who killed Sara was below average height. They're interrupted when Ray calls Felicity from Verdant and admits that he pinged her phone to find out where she is. She goes up and Ray apologizes for how he reacted when they kissed. He tells Felicity that he felt guilty for kissing her because he hasn't killed anyone since his wife Anna. Anna was killed by Slade's soldiers during the siege while an injured ray could only watch. Touched, Felicity takes Ray's hand. Oliver goes back to his and Thea's loft and discovers that she's putting up a Christmas tree. She explains that now that it's just the two of them, they need a tree more than ever. Oliver accuses her of living with Malcolm in Corto Maltese, but Thea denies having ever come back to Starling City until now. Oliver and Maseo capture the scientist and take him to an abandoned office to interrogate him. The scientist insists that he doesn't know anything, and Oliver draws back an arrow to shoot him. Laurel and Dinah go for coffee and as they talk, Dinah instinctively realizes that something has happened to Sara. Laurel finally admits that her younger sister is dead because of her involvement with dangerous people. She insists that Quentin can't know because his heart couldn't take the strain, and she doesn't want to lose anyone else. In the League's headquarters in Nanda Parbat, Ra's hones his fighting skills against a squad of his killers, dispatching them all. Nyssa and Maseo arrive and says that the 48 hour deadline is almost upon them, and Ra's tells them to return to Starling City and teach Oliver a lesson. At the lair, Oliver tells his teammates that Thea lied to him. However, he still insists that she didn't kill Sara. Felicity and Diggle disagree, warning that his family is his weak spot. Oliver admits that he can't believe that his sister would kill Sara or anyone else, and Felicity says that Oliver shouldn't be the one asking the questions. A short time later, Thea is decorating for Christmas when Arrow smashes his way in through the window. When he demands to know where Malcolm is, Thea comes at him and fends him off momentarily. She tells Arrow to stay away from her and her father, and then leaps over the balcony. Oliver waits until the storm ends and then continues his climb. Once Thea calls to tell him about Arrow's visit, Malcolm goes to confront Oliver at Verdant. Oliver slams him down on the bar and prepares to kill him for what he's done, but Malcolm advises him to reconsider... for Thea's sake. An automated video is sent to Oliver's phone, showing Thea killing Sara. Malcolm explains that if he dies then another copy will go to the League. He tells Oliver that he used a plant, votura, that makes the victim susceptible. Once he convinced Thea to kill Sara, he ordered her to forget what had happened. When Oliver wonders why Malcolm turned his own daughter into a killer, Malcolm tells him that now Oliver will have to confess to the killing himself rather than let Thea suffer execution. Then Oliver will have the right to face Ra's in trial by combat, and Ra's death will erase any blood debt, including Malcolm's. Malcolm tells Oliver that after what he just did, he's sure that Oliver will kill to save Thea. Oliver goes downstairs and tells his friends what happened, and insists on confessing to the murder to save Thea. Despite Oliver's torture, the scientist refuses to tell them where the vial is. Maseo suggests that the man may have been under the influence of votura and his memory was wiped. When Oliver wonders how they'll find China White, Maseo warns him that now China may find them. At Maseo's apartment, China White breaks in and takes Tatsu's katana from the wall where it's hanging. Tatsu tells Akio to run and then grabs another sword and attacks China White. Assuming that Ra's is in Starling City, Oliver goes to see the Demon's Head and tells him that he killed Sara. Nyssa doesn't believe him, and Oliver claims that Sara asked him to kill her so that she wouldn't have to go back to her lover. Ra's is clearly unconvinced, and Oliver challenges him to trial by combat. As long as the League's honor is satisfied, Ra's doesn't care who he kills and accepts the challenge. Oliver reaches the top of the mountain. Maseo talks to Oliver privately after Ra's leaves. Oliver wonders how his friend joined the League, and Maseo explains that he traveled to Nanda Parbat after what happened to Tatsu. Sara was there at the same time, and Maseo knows that Oliver didn't kill her. He admits that he doesn't want to see Oliver die, but has no choice but to witness it as a ranking member of the League. Maseo informs Oliver that the challenge will be held on consecrated ground to the League and gives him the address, and Oliver leave. Laurel takes Dinah to Sara's grave, and Dinah remembers how when they were young, Laurel wanted to be a cop and Sara wanted to be a doctor. When Laurel says that she'll find the killer and make them pay, Dinah tells her to make them suffer. Oliver goes back to the loft and finds Thea sweeping up the glass from the broken window. She says that a bird flew into it, and then realizes that something is wrong. Oliver finally tells her that Malcolm doesn't love her, and says that he would do anything to protect her. He then hugs Thea and assures her that he loves her no matter what. When Maseo and Oliver return to the apartment, they find the place in a shambles. Akio comes out of the closet where he's been hiding and tells them that China White took his mother. Felicity storms into Ray's office and demands to know why he bought Queen Consolidated. He finally tells her that he's working on a way to miniaturize weapon-grade military technology. Queen Consolidated was working on a battle suit, OMAC. Ray has rechristened it A.T.O.M.--Advanced Technology Operating Mechanism and wants to use it to protect Starling City. To do that, he needs Felicity's help. As Oliver packs for his trip, he asks Roy and Diggle to watch over Thea. Felicity comes in and Oliver assures her that he'll be back. She knows that it wouldn't do any good to ask him to stay, and worries that he won't do what it takes to stop Ra's for good. Felicity asks Oliver to make sure that his opponent dies. In response, Oliver says that he only knows two things for sure: he'll do whatever it takes to save Thea, and he loves Felicity. Oliver steps onto the consecrated ground and Maseo offers him a choice of swords. Ra's steps forward and says that he killed his first man to protect the family, and formed the League to protect other families. He invites Oliver to attack him even though he doesn't bear a sword. Oliver comes at him with two swords and Ra's quickly takes one of them and parries his attacks. When Oliver tries to rally despite his wounds, Ra's hits him in the throat and then stabs him in the side. He concedes that Oliver has died honorably and then stabs him through the chest. Ra's says a prayer over Oliver as he dies and then shoves him over the side of the mountain. Cast Main Cast Members *Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen *Katie Cassidy as Dinah Laurel Lance *Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak *David Ramsey as John Diggle *Colton Haynes as Roy Harper *Willa Holland as Thea Queen *Paul Blackthorne as Detective Quentin Lance *John Barrowman as Malcolm Merlyn Recurring Cast Members *Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul *Matt Nable as Ra's al Ghul *Karl Yune as Maseo Yamashiro *Rila Fukushima as Katana *Brandon Nomura as Akio Yamashiro *Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer *Kelly Hu as China White *Alex Kingston as Dinah Drake Lance Guest Stars *Jason Burkart as Lowlife *Raphael Kepinski as Pilot *Yee Jee Tso as Scientist *Felicity Anne as Female Clubber Notes *Coming Soon Trivia Links *http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4006548/?ref_=tt_ep_nx *http://arrow.wikia.com/wiki/The_Climb *http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Arrow_(TV_Series)_Episode:_The_Climb Episode 09